You hear that phrase a lot in college basketball, especially this time of year, when roles are coalescing as the clock ticks toward the season opener. A couple of Point Pleasant Beach High School grads, Matt Farrell and Dom Uhl, have been tasked with providing it on big stages this winter.

Last week Farrell made the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the top point guard in Division I. The Notre Dame senior, a Bridgewater native, is one of 20 contenders.

Three days later Uhl represented Iowa at Big Ten media day in New York City. The versatile forward is the lone scholarship senior on the Hawkeyes’ young but talented roster.

Uhl ‘understands how to win’

By his own admission, Uhl is a guy of few words. But his presence at Madison Square Garden Thursday spoke volumes about his stature within Iowa’s program.

“It’s kind of surreal, to be honest” he said. “I don’t feel any different, but I know I have to be a leader and take the younger guys under my wing.”

Dom Uhl at Big Ten Media Day last week.(Photo: Jerry Carino)

His numbers as a junior were modest: 3.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. But Iowa coach Fran McCaffery played him in every game and started him seven times.

“He’s a glue guy in the sense that he knows and understands how to win,” McCaffery said. “He fits into a leadership role because he’s incredibly cerebral. He’s always in the right place and always helping out his teammates. He’s not a vocal guy off the court but he does talk on defense, which is important.”

Defense is the 6-foot-9 Uhl’s top priority this winter.

Iowa forward Dom Uhl warms up on the court before a game earlier this month.(Photo: AP)

“I’m going to pride myself on being a defensive presence, try to be a role model that way,” he said.

Coming off a 19-15 season, Iowa is driven by sophomores and freshmen and considered to be a wild card in the Big Ten, which will play its tournament at Madison Square Garden for the first time. That’s just fine with Uhl.

“I’ve got a couple of people asking me about tickets already,” Uhl said. “Everybody wants to come and see me play at the Garden. It should be fun.”

Brey on Farrell: ‘It’s his team’

During Notre Dame’s media day Oct. 19, head coach Mike Brey spent a good portion of his press conference talking about Farrell.

“I think he’ll be a better all-around player because he has to communicate more,” Brey said. “I was always on him the first two years because he would never say anything. You can get away with that if you’re not the point guard. But if you’re the point guard, you have got to talk.”

Farrell had a breakthrough junior campaign, averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range. The Fighting Irish finished 26-10 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round. They are ranked 14th in the preseason version of USA Today’s Coaches Poll.

“Right now he feels he’s one of the best guards in the country. He is, and it’s his team,” Brey said. “We’re a throwback in that guys have great senior years here. I think he’s lined up to have one.”

It seems hard to believe now, but Farrell was wildly underrated by recruiting analysts and overlooked by most high-major coaches coming out of Point Beach. You know who saw his success coming? Uhl, who keeps in touch with his old teammate.

“I always knew what he was capable of,” Uhl said. “People slept on him most of the time, but he got his chance and took advantage of it.”

College Corner appears Tuesdays in the Gannett New Jersey newspapers. Send tips to Jerry Carino at jcarino@gannettnj.com.